Dr Angela Coutts

BA (London), MA, PhD (Sheffield)

Profile

Angela Coutts lectures in Japanese language and literature. Her research interests include modern Japanese female writers and national identity. She was a Japanese Ministry of Education (Monbusho) Research Scholar at Ochanomizu Women's University in Tokyo and has worked as a professional translator and editor in the UK and the USA. She has also lectured in English for Academic Purposes at the universities of Birmingham and Sussex. Her PhD thesis was entitled Gender and National Identity in the works of Hayashi Fumiko (1903-1951). Her research focuses on responses to national identity in modern and contemporary Japanese society as expressed through literature. She is particularly interested in the radical writing of authors such as Hayashi Fumiko (1903-1951), Hirabayshi Taiko (1905-1971) and Sata Ineko (1904-1999) and the magazines in which they were published.

Teaching

One of the most enjoyable aspects of my job is interacting with students in the classroom. I teach at all levels of the undergraduate programme in a variety of situations including large lectures, seminars, and Japanese language classes. I believe that the student learning process is best facilitated through an interactive student-centred approach delivered in an academically rigorous and challenging yet supportive environment. My aim is to instil students with a sense of confidence in their abilities and to stimulate enjoyment in learning. Discussing works of literature with students in a seminar is often an uplifting experience as the interesting and varied responses help me to understand both the works and the students in a new way. I also enjoy seeing students develop and mature as human beings over the four years of the undergraduate degree programme: it is a privilege to feel that as lecturers at SEAS we contribute to that process.

I currently teach on the following modules:
EAS134 Japanese Literature
EAS200 Japanese Language: reading comprehension
EAS210 Japanese Language: understanding newspapers
EAS345 Contemporary Japanese Novel

Research Supervision

Current supervision topics include the wartime picture books of Maruko Toshi and writings by Miyamoto Yuriko from her time in the Soviet Union. Applications to carry out postgraduate research on modern and contemporary Japanese literature are welcomed.

Current Administrative Responsibilities

Director of Undergraduate Studies
Disability Liaison Officer

List of Major Publications